Atherosclerosis is characterized by one or more intravascular lesions formed in part of plaque including blood-borne substances such as fat, cholesterol, and calcium. An intravascular lesion such as an arterial lesion can form on a side of an arterial lumen and build out across the lumen to an opposite side thereof. A last point of patency often occurs at a boundary between the arterial lesion and the opposite side of the arterial lumen.
Surgical procedures for atherosclerosis such as atherectomy and angioplasty can be used to restore patency and blood flow lost to the one or more intravascular lesions; however, a number of different devices are needed to perform any one of the surgical procedures. For example, atherectomy can involve placing a guidewire through an intravascular lesion with a first, lesion-crossing device and subsequently advancing a second, atherectomy device to the lesion for ablation thereof. Each of a number of different devices needs to be inserted into and removed from a patient, thereby increasing a risk of surgical complication. Accordingly, there is a need to reduce the number of different devices used for surgical procedures for atherosclerosis. Provided herein in some embodiments are systems and methods that address the foregoing.